Improvement in forks for hay-spreaders



tlnted Sttte aient (Itjiyiw,

GEORGE E. BUR'I AND EDWIN A. HILDRETH, OF HA RVARD, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

Letters .Patent No', 90,991, lated Jzmc 8, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN FORKS FOR HAY-SPRADERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that we, GEORGE E. BURT and EDWIN A: HILDRETH, both of the town of Harvard, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hay-Tedder Forks; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l is a front or top View of the fork complete. Figure 2 is a side view of the same fork. Figure 3 is a front view of the left-hand tine, B, of the fork, with its coil and shank.

Figure 4 is a front View of the. right-hand tine, A, of the fork, with its coil and shank. l

Figure 5 is a view of the bolt k, which connects the two partsof the fork.

Figure 6 'is a View of the nut L, showingthe boss n. Figure 7 is a horizontal longitudinal section of the bolt k, showing the seat o for the shank D of the tine B..

Figure 8 is a vertical section through the middle of the nut L, showing the seat o' in the boss n for' the shank C of the tine A.

Like letters represent like parts in all the figures. It has been found, by experience, that hay-tedder forks should be constructed of the best elastic springtempered wire, in order to have them keep `their form, and yield to obstacleswith which they may come in contact when in operation.

It has been found, that in constructing forks with both tines made of the same piece of wire,'it is necessary to bend the wire at very short angles, in order to rconstruct the loop thatA connects the two tines.' In

constructing these loops, the wire is severely strained,

n and is liable to break in making, or to fail after being put in. use`;. and it is found necessary to use a softer or lower-tempered wire to construct forks in this man.- `ner; and, when wire is used that will bend sufficiently to make the 4angles of the forks so constructed, such forks are not suiiiciently elastic to pass obstacles without being greatly injured.

To overcome the above objections is one of the ob'- jects of this invention; and

The nature of our invention consists in constructing hay-tedder forks in separate parts,'in such a manner that each of the parts may be easily removed or y repaired, and yet there is no liability of said parts i being loosened by the action of the machine when in .operation also, to enable the manufacturer to use a higher-'tempered and very elastic grade of wire in constructing the forks to vhay-tedders, having all the'advantages of a fork Aconstructed of one piece of wire, and'also of having more perfect pivots and shoulders forthe connecting arms that operate the forks.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will p roceed to describe its construe-f tion and operation.

We construct our forks of two parts, A and B, provided with shanks G and D, tines G and H, and coils I and I,of sufficient diameter to receive the support J, gs. l and 2.

On the end of the shanks C and D, we cut screwthreads, figs. 3 and 4.

IVe construct screw-bolt 7c, with either round or sq uarc'head, m, .and with screw -thread on its end, which` is made to tit a screw-thread inthe nut L, iig. 5.

Nut L is constructed with the boss n.

The bolt-head m and boss n are provided with seats o o', figs. 7 and 8, having screw-threads cut in them, to it the screw-thread on the shanks O and D, gs. 3 and 4.

The shank D is screwed into the seat o in the bolthead fm, and the shank'O is screwed into the seat ox of the boss n. v The part A is then screwed, by the screw-nut-L, on to the bolt L, which forms' a very strong and firm connection between the two parts A and B, g. l.

The supportJ is passed into the coilsI and I', which I are held laterally in position by stop P, which is fixed to support J by screws, seen in fig. l.

`Ris the connecting-arm which operates the fork. i

Operation.

It will be seen, that when a fork of -this construction is placed, Aon its supporting-bar J, in a tedder of common construction, all its parts are held securely in position by the bar J, which sustains the coilsI I of the parts A and B.

As the nut L cannot turn on the bolt k, nor the shanks G D turn in their seats in the boss n or bolthead m, all the parts of the forkv are securely held in place, with no liability of unscrewing when in operation, and the operating-force Vmay be applied to the fork at any angle, or in any position, with the same eiiect as in a fork made of a single-piece of wire.

the tedder-fork.

rlhe shoulders formed by the bolt-headm andnut L are important features peculiar to'this fork. They hold rmly, and guide in a right direction the connecting or operating-arm R of the tedder,'and cause the fork to play with less friction when in operation.

Thus, a very superior fork may beV constructed, as firm, 'and .more reliable than it would be if made entire, of one piece of wire, as' usually employed, and of wire of high grade of temper, and of such elasticity that the forks will not be bent outof place by coming in contact with obstacles when in operation. The entire fork, or either ofthe parts, may be re-` vmoved by taking out the support J, and unscrewing What We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with a-hay-tedder, a spring-fork constructed oft\vo separate pieces of Wire, when arranged to rock on the support J, and connected firmly together by the bolt or pivot 7s, in snch a manner as to hold the pivot 7c in its proper position without anyl other connection than the shanks of the fork, between the pivot o1' bolt k, and the bearing upon which the coils 'of the fork are supported, substantially as described.

2. The bolt k and nut L, when provided with seats for the Shanks G and D, in combination with a haytedder fork, substantially as described.

3. The nut L, when constructed with a boss, 'n provided with a seat, o', substantially as described, in combination with a hay-'redder fork.

4. The combination of the operating-arm R, turning upon the bolt 7c, the tedder-forks A and B, constructed of separate pieces of wire, and the bolt k, with shoulders on each side of the operating-arm, to keep it in position, substantially as described.

GEORGEE. BU'RT.

EDWIN A. HILDRETH.

Witnesses S. .B. HILDRETH, A..Q. BURT.. 

